WO2002003487A1

WO2002003487A1 - Method for producing plate of battery

Info

Publication number: WO2002003487A1
Application number: PCT/JP2001/005713
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nobuyuki Kawaguchi; Hitoshi Mikuriya; Yoshinori Itou; Hiromasa Nishijima
Original assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2000-07-03
Filing date: 2001-07-02
Publication date: 2002-01-10
Also published as: JP4043939B2; CN1418382A; EP1298743A1; US6857171B2; US20030024106A1; EP1298743A4; CN1189960C

Abstract

A method for producing the plate of a battery comprising a step for calculating the weight of a supplied core material by passing X-rays through the core material, a step for calculating the filling weight of an active substance and the weight of the core material by passing X-rays again after filling the core material with the active substance, a step for calculating the weight of the active substance from the difference between these measured weights, a step for regulating the quantity of the active substance filling the core material when it deviates from a predetermined weight and suppressing variation in the filling quantity of active substance, and a step for producing a plate by drying the core material filled with the active substance.

Description

Description Manufacturing method for battery electrode plates Technical field

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electrode plate for an alkaline storage battery.

Background art

Alkaline storage batteries such as nickel-hydrogen storage batteries and nickel-cadmium storage batteries are excellent in size and weight, and are widely used as power sources for personal computers and mobile phones.

These alkaline storage batteries are often used as a battery pack by using a plurality of batteries, and the charge and discharge capacity of each alkaline storage battery is required to be uniform without any variation.

In order to make the capacity of this battery uniform, for example, in the case of a positive electrode plate used in nickel-metal hydride storage batteries, the electrode plate is formed by filling the porous metal body with a nickel hydroxide active material as uniformly as possible There is a need. Conventionally, specific methods for filling these porous metal bodies with an active material include, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-198614, from one side of the porous metal body to the other. There is a method in which the paste-like active material is sprayed into the porous metal body by spraying the paste-like active material toward the surface so as not to penetrate into the porous metal body, or a method in which the porous metal body is immersed in the paste-like active material and filled.

As shown in Fig. 6, the weight of the filled active material was measured and controlled by the transmission of β-rays and the like into the porous metal body filled with these active materials.

Disclosure of the invention

In the above method, the weight is measured after drying the porous metal body filled with the active material. This is because there is no difference between the absorption coefficient of water and the active material in the three lines, so that the amount of the active material charged cannot be accurately measured until the water is evaporated.

As described above, when the porous metal is filled with the active material and dried, and then the amount of the filled active material is measured by radiation transmission, it takes a long time to perform the measurement, and the management of the filled amount is delayed. The amount of active material to fill is easy. In addition, there is also a problem that the space volume of the porous metal body itself is barracks and the filling of the active material results in the barracks.

On the other hand, in the manufacturing method of the battery electrode plate of the present invention, the weight of the core material is calculated by transmitting X-rays through the supplied core material, and after the core material is filled with the active material, X is again applied. The weight of the active material is calculated by calculating the difference between the measured weight and the core material, and the weight of the active material is calculated from the difference between the measured weights. In this method, the amount of the active material filled in the core material is adjusted, the variation in the amount of the active material filled is suppressed, and then the core material filled with the active material is dried to produce an electrode plate. According to the method of the present invention, the active material filling amount can be confirmed before drying and the filling amount can be quickly controlled, so that the battery electrode plate having less variation in the active material filling amount than the conventional method. Can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a manufacturing process of a positive electrode plate for an alkaline storage battery according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing generation of X-rays.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of filling the porous metal body 1 with the active material paste.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the battery electrode plate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a manufacturing process of a positive electrode plate for an alkaline storage battery of a comparative example.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the generation of β-rays.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention provides: a supply step of continuously supplying a &material; irradiating the core material with X-rays to measure a permeation amount thereof; A weight measurement step 1 to be determined, a filling step of filling the core material with a predetermined weight of the active material, and irradiating the core material filled with the active material with X-rays to measure a transmission amount thereof. A weight measurement step 2 for determining the weight of the core material and the active material filling weight per unit area based on the weight value measured in the weight measurement step 2 and the weight measured in the weight measurement step 1 A weight calculating step of calculating the difference to obtain the active material filling weight; and, if the active material filling weight calculated in the weight calculating step is out of the allowable range of the predetermined weight, based on the deviated active material weight. To the active material filling amount in the filling step. A feedback control step of subjecting the readback control, the filling of And a drying step of drying the obtained active material.

The method of the present invention is characterized in that the weight is calculated based on the amount of X-ray transmission. Since the X-ray absorption coefficient of the core material and active material is extremely different from the X-ray absorption coefficient of water (approximately 1/20), unlike the conventional method of calculating weight using i3 rays, These weights can be accurately calculated without going through. Further, since the active material filling weight can be confirmed immediately after filling the active material into the core material, there is no time loss for drying, and the filling weight of the active material can be quickly managed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a battery electrode plate with less variation in the filling weight of the active material.

In the above, the core material is not particularly limited as long as it is used as a base of the electrode, and has a shape such as oil, sheet, perforated body, lath body, and porous body.

In the case of using a core material such as oil or a sheet that has a small variation in weight, the above-described process related to the calculation of the core material weight may be omitted. Specifically, the core material is supplied continuously. A supplying step, a filling step of filling the core material with a predetermined weight of the active material, and irradiating the active material and the filled core material with X-rays to measure a transmission amount thereof. A weight calculating step for determining the filling weight of the active material per area; and, if the active material filling weight calculated in the weight calculating step is out of the allowable range of the predetermined weight, based on the deviated active material weight. By a method including a feedback control step of performing a feed pack control on the active material filling amount in the filling step, it is also possible to provide a battery electrode plate with less variation in the filling weight of the active material.

On the other hand, when using a core material whose weight varies greatly as compared with a foil or sheet such as a perforated body or a porous body, it is preferable to perform the above-mentioned steps related to the calculation of the weight of the core material. Further, when a porous body is used as the core material, a step for reducing the variation in the weight of the core material itself may be provided in advance.

That is, the present invention further provides a supply step of continuously supplying a porous metal body having a three-dimensionally connected space; a thickness adjusting step of adjusting the thickness of the porous metal body; A weight measuring step 1 of irradiating X-rays to measure a transmission amount thereof, and calculating a weight of the porous metal body per unit area based on the transmission amount, and a filling step of filling the porous metal body with a predetermined weight of an active material. And irradiating the porous metal body filled with the active material with X-rays to measure the amount of transmission, and based on the amount of transmission, the metal per unit area A weight measurement step 2 for determining the weight of the porous body and the active material filling weight; and calculating a difference between the weight measured in the weight measurement step 2 and the weight measured in the weight measurement step 1 to calculate the active material. A weight calculating step for calculating the filling weight of the active material; and when the active material filling weight calculated in the weight calculating step is out of the allowable range of the predetermined weight, the active material in the filling step is determined based on the deviated active material weight. A method for producing a battery electrode plate, comprising: a feed pack control step of performing feedback control on a substance filling amount; and a drying step of drying the filled active material.

A porous metal body having a three-dimensionally connected space has a larger volume of space than a perforated metal plate. It is effective to make the volume uniform. By adding this step, the variation in the amount of the active material filled in the porous metal body can be further suppressed. The means for adjusting the thickness is not particularly limited. The degree of pressurization is appropriately set according to the properties of the porous metal body.

Such a method of the present invention can be carried out, for example, by a battery electrode plate manufacturing apparatus as schematically shown in FIG. Referring to Fig. 4, the core material 10 is transported by a transport device such as a roller 11, and the transport path includes an X-ray generator 1 in an X-ray shield and an X-ray detector facing the X-ray generator. 1, a discharge device such as a nozzle, an X-ray generator 2 in an X-ray shield, an X-ray detector 2 facing the same, and a sorting device are arranged in series in this order.

First, X-rays are emitted from the X-ray generator 1 to the core material, and the X-ray transmission amount X1 that has passed through the core material is detected by the X-ray detector 1 and sent to the X-ray transmission amount processing unit of the control device. Entered. Next, the core material is filled with the active material by the discharge device. Next, the core material filled with the active material is irradiated with X-rays from the X-ray generator 2, and the amount X2 of X-rays transmitted through the core material is detected by the X-ray detector 2, and the X-ray of the control device is detected. Input to the line transmission processing unit.

The control device has an X-ray transmission amount processing unit, and a storage unit and a control unit in which data for weight calculation and data for weight inspection are stored in advance. First, based on the X-ray transmission amount XI, the X-ray transmission amount processing unit uses the comparison data D 1 between the X-ray transmission amount X 1 and the core material weight W 1 stored in the storage unit to calculate the core material. Calculate the weight W1. The comparison data D 1 is It was created by correlating in advance the X-ray transmission amount and the core material weight, using the X-ray absorption coefficient of the core material as a variable.

Next, based on the X-ray transmission amount X 2, the X-ray transmission amount processing unit performs comparison data D 2 of the X-ray transmission amount X 2 stored in the storage unit and the weight W 2 of the core material filled with the active material. Is used to calculate the weight W 2 of the core material filled with the active material.

Here, the comparative data D 2 was created by previously correlating the X-ray transmission amount and the weight of the core material filled with the active material, using the X-ray absorption coefficient of the core material and the X-ray absorption coefficient of the active material as variables. Things. As described above, since the X-ray absorption coefficient of the core material / active material is significantly different from the X-ray absorption coefficient of moisture, the X-ray absorption coefficient of moisture is determined using the X-ray absorption coefficient of the core material and the X-ray absorption coefficient of the active material as variables. The correlation can be obtained without using the X-ray absorption coefficient of water.

The active material filling amount W3 is calculated from the difference between W2 and W1 thus obtained, W2-W1, and sent to the storage unit. In the storage unit, a reference weight Wn of the active material and an appropriately set allowable error range Dn are stored in advance as data for weight inspection.

The storage unit compares the above-mentioned active material filling amount W3 with the reference weight Wn and the allowable error range Dn, and determines whether or not the W3 is within the allowable error range Dn with respect to the reference weight Wn. That is, it determines whether the weight is positive or not, and outputs the result to the control unit.

When the control unit receives the above-mentioned inadequate control signal, the control unit controls the discharge amount of the discharge device and the transfer speed of the transfer device to control the filling amount of the active material into the core material, thereby reducing the variation. Hold down.

The above-mentioned device may have a sorting device at an end portion. If the weight is a positive amount, the sorting device conveys the article to a predetermined place as a normal product, In some cases, the product may be transported to a predetermined location as an abnormal product.

Further, in the above device, a thickness control device such as a roller may be placed at the start end to reduce the variation of the weight of the & material itself.

When using core materials such as oils and sheets with small weight fluctuations, the management of the core material weight using the X-ray generator 1 and X-ray detector 1 is omitted, and the filling of the active material is omitted. The filling amount may be controlled using the weight of the core material.

Example Hereinafter, a method for producing the electrode plate for an alkaline storage battery of the present invention will be described with reference to examples. To 100 parts by weight of nickel hydroxide, 10 parts by weight of nickel metal powder and 5 parts by weight of powder of cobalt acid chloride were added and mixed. Water was added to the mixture as a dispersion medium so that the ratio of water to the total paste was 25% by weight, and kneaded to prepare an active material paste. The X-ray absorption coefficient of the active material paste was 16.645.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a manufacturing process of a positive electrode plate for an alkaline storage battery according to an embodiment of the present invention. The details will be described below.

In step 1 shown in FIG. 1, a strip-shaped sponge-like nickel metal porous body 1 having a thickness of 3.0 mm, a porosity of 98%, and an average pore diameter of 200 μm is placed between two iron-made thickening rolls 2. Through this, the thickness was adjusted to 2.5 mm.

In step 2 shown in FIG. 1, X-rays are generated from an X-ray generator (X-ray energy 20 keV) 3 and X-rays are The X-rays were transmitted by irradiating the X-rays, the amount of the transmitted X-rays was detected by the detector 4, and the weight per unit area of the porous metal body 1 was calculated using the X-ray absorption coefficient.

The calculation was performed using the comparative data showing the relationship between the amount of X-ray transmission and the weight of the porous metal body prepared in advance as described above.

In step 3 shown in FIG. 1, a nozzle 5 is opposed to one surface of the porous metal 1 as shown in FIG. The active material paste was filled into the porous metal body 1 while running the porous metal body 1 itself in the longitudinal direction.

At this time, the approach distance between the nozzle 5 and the porous metal body 1 was kept at 0.1 mm, and a predetermined amount of the paste-like active material was discharged from the nozzle 5 to fill the porous body. When the paste was filled into the porous body, the traveling speed of the porous body was adjusted so that the paste did not penetrate from one surface on the filling side to the other surface, and as a result, the preferred traveling speed was 7 m. / Min and came.

In step 4 shown in FIG. 1, X-rays are generated from the X-ray generator 3 as shown in FIG. 2, and the X-rays pass through the porous metal body 1 filled with the active material paste. Detected by the detector 4, the weight per unit area of the active material paste and the porous metal body 1 was calculated using the X-ray absorption coefficient as described above. Water in active material paste (X-ray absorption Since the X-ray absorption coefficient of the yield coefficient −0.692) is about 1 Z 20 compared to nickel hydroxide, the amount of water can be ignored.

In step 5 shown in Fig. 1, the active material paste is calculated from the difference between the weight per unit area of the active material paste and the porous metal body 1 calculated in step 4 and the weight per unit area of the metal porous body 1 calculated in step 2. Was determined per unit area. If this weight is outside the predetermined weight range, a signal is sent to step 3 where the active material paste weight is feed-packed and the active material paste fill is immediately adjusted.

In step 6 shown in FIG. 1, the porous metal body 1 filled with the active material paste is dried, and the positive electrode plate 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention is manufactured. The positive electrode plate 6 is wound up in step 7, and in step 8, the positive electrode plate 6 according to the battery size is manufactured.

In this example, the positive electrode plate 6 was roll-pressed to a thickness of 0.8 mm, and cut into a positive electrode plate 6 for an A-size alkaline storage battery to have a length of 10 mm and a width of 60 mm. 1000 plates were produced.

Comparative example

Next, a comparative example is shown.

An active material paste having the same composition as in the example and a porous metal body 1 were used.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a manufacturing process of a positive electrode plate for an alkaline storage battery of a comparative example, and details will be described below.

In step 1 shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle 5 is opposed to one surface of a strip-shaped sponge-like nickel metal porous body 1 having a thickness of 3.0 mm, a porosity of 98%, and an average pore diameter of 200 μππι. The active material paste is filled into the porous metal body 1 using the nozzle 5 of the comparative example while the porous metal body 1 itself is running in the length direction thereof, and is filled in the same manner as in the example. A positive electrode plate 7 was produced.

In the step 3 shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 6, a schematic diagram of the generation of the jS line is obtained; 3 lines are generated from the 3 line generator 8], and the porous metal body 1 filled with the active material paste is removed. The transmitted β-rays were detected by the X-ray detector 9. The weight per unit area of the active material paste and the porous metal body 1 is calculated using the absorption coefficient of β-ray, and the weight per unit area of the porous metal body 1 is subtracted therefrom to obtain the weight of the active material paste. In step 4, the positive electrode plate 8 was wound up. Here, the reason why the weight of the positive electrode plate 7 is measured by applying the β-ray after drying on the positive electrode plate 7 is that the difference between the absorption coefficient of water and the absorption coefficient of j3 line of nickel hydroxide is so small that it cannot be distinguished. . The weight per unit area of the active material paste was defined as the weight per unit area based on the standard specification value, assuming that the weight of the porous metal body 1 did not vary. The positive electrode plate 7 prepared above was subjected to a mouth press so as to have a thickness of 0.8 mm, and cut into an A size positive electrode plate for an alkaline storage battery to have a length of 110 mm and a width of 60 mm. 1000 plates were produced.

Next, each of the positive electrode plate 6 and the positive electrode plate 7 produced as described above was withdrawn 100 sheets each, and the weight of the filled active material paste was measured. table 1

As shown in Table 1, in the example, the variation in the filling amount was ± 1.66%, whereas in the comparative example, the variation in the filling amount was ± 3.32%.

This is because, in the embodiment, since the X-ray is used, the filling amount of the active material paste can be measured without drying the positive electrode plate 6, and the measured filling amount can be immediately fed back to measure the filling amount. It is. Further, in the example, the weight of the porous metal body 1 was measured, the weight of the positive electrode plate 6 was measured after filling the porous metal body 1 with the active material paste, and the weight of the porous metal body 1 was calculated from the weight of the positive electrode plate 6. The active material paste is measured accurately by pulling.

In contrast, in the comparative example, the weight of the active material paste and the weight of the porous metal body 1 were measured using three lines (after the positive electrode plate 7 was dried) to calculate the weight of the active material paste. The weight of the active material paste cannot be measured directly. In addition, since the weight of the positive electrode plate is measured after drying, even if the weight variation increases, it is not possible to immediately feed pack the active material filling process, so the variation is increased.

In the above embodiment, a method of manufacturing a positive electrode plate in which a porous metal body is filled with an active material paste is shown. However, a hydrogen storage alloy is applied to a punching metal. Applicable to manufacturing methods.

In addition, when alkaline storage batteries such as nickel-metal hydride storage batteries and nickel-cadmium storage batteries are manufactured using the positive and negative electrode plates manufactured by these manufacturing methods, a high-capacity alkaline storage battery with less variation in battery capacity is constructed. it can.

In the above embodiment, when the active material paste is filled from one surface of the porous metal body to the other surface, the method of controlling the filling amount using X-rays is used. As described above, use X-rays to fill the electrode by immersing the body in the active material paste and filling the electrode, or when forming the electrode by applying the active material paste and the hydrogen storage alloy paste to the punching metal. Methods for controlling the quantity can be used. Further, it is not necessary to adjust the thickness of the core material such as the punched metal as in the case of the porous metal body.

Industrial applicability

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to configure an electrode with less variation in the filling of the active material. Also, when this electrode is used in a battery, an excellent battery with less variation in charge / discharge capacity can be constructed.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. a supply process for continuously supplying the core material;

A weight measurement step 1 of irradiating the core material with X-rays and measuring a transmission amount thereof, and calculating a weight of the core material per unit area based on the transmission amount;

A filling step of filling the core material with a predetermined weight of the active material,

Irradiating the core material filled with the active material with X-rays to measure the amount of transmission thereof, and determining the weight of the core material per unit area and the weight of the active material filling based on the amount of transmission, a weight measuring step 2; ,

A weight calculating step of calculating a difference between the weight value measured in the weight measuring step 2 and the weight measured in the weight measuring step 1 to obtain a filling weight of the active material paste; and a weight calculating step. If the weight of the filled active material paste is out of the allowable range of the predetermined weight, a feed pack control is performed based on the deviated weight of the active material to perform a feed pack control on the amount of the filled active material paste in the filling step. Process and

A drying step of drying the filled active material.

2. a supply process for continuously supplying the core material;

A filling step of filling the core material with a predetermined amount of an active material, and irradiating the core material filled with the active material with X-rays to measure a transmission amount thereof, and based on the transmission amount, an active material per unit area. A weight calculation step for determining the filling weight of

If the active material filling weight calculated in the weight calculation step is out of the allowable range of the predetermined weight, feedback control is performed on the active material filling amount in the filling step based on the deviated active material weight. A method for manufacturing a battery electrode plate, including a feed pack control step.

3. a supply step of continuously supplying a porous metal body having a three-dimensionally connected space;

Thickening step of adjusting the thickness of the porous metal body,

A weight measuring step 1 of irradiating the metal porous body with X-rays to measure a transmission amount thereof, and calculating a weight of the metal porous body per unit area based on the transmission amount; A filling step of filling the porous metal body with an active material by a predetermined weight, and irradiating the porous metal body filled with the active material with X-rays to measure a transmission amount thereof, A weight measurement step 2 for determining the weight of the porous metal body and the active material filling weight,

A weight calculation step of calculating a difference between the weight measured in the weight measurement step 2 and the weight measured in the weight measurement step 1 to obtain a filling weight of the active material;

If the active material filling weight calculated in the weight calculating step is out of the allowable range of the predetermined weight, feedback control is performed on the active material filling amount in the filling step based on the deviated active material weight. And a drying step of drying the filled active material paste.

4. The method for producing an electrode plate for a battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the active material is a paste mainly composed of nickel hydroxide or a hydrogen storage alloy paste.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the core material is a perforated metal plate.

6. X-ray generation means and X-ray detection means for measuring the amount of X-ray transmitted through the core material filled with active material,

X-ray transmission amount processing means for determining a positive amount or an incomplete amount of the active material based on the X-ray transmission amount, and

An electrode manufacturing apparatus characterized by including a control means for controlling an active material filling amount based on an insignificant signal.

7. X-ray generation means and X-ray detection means for measuring the amount of X-ray transmitted through the core material,

Active material filling means,

X-ray generation means and X-ray detection means for measuring the amount of X-ray transmitted through the core material filled with the active material,

Based on the amount of X-rays transmitted through the core and the amount of X-rays transmitted through the core filled with the active material, calculate the amount of active material to be filled, and determine whether the amount of active material is positive or not X-ray transmission processing means, and

It includes a control means for controlling the active material filling amount based on the insignificant signal.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a sorting unit that discharges the core material determined to have an unfilled amount of the active material in distinction from the core material determined to be a positive amount.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a means for adjusting the thickness of the core material.